Historic Preservation

Evansville has a seven-member Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). All the committee members are selected for their recognized experience, interest, or professional knowledge of historic preservation. Members are officially appointed by the Mayor; one member of the HPC is simultaneously a City Alderperson.  The remaining six HPC members are citizen members.  

Per Chapter 62 of the Municipal Code, the HPC:

(1) Promotes public education, interest and support for the preservation and enhancement of historic sites
(2) Seek public participation in the local historic preservation program as a whole, and in the process of evaluating properties for inclusion in the local, Wisconsin state, and national registers.
(3) Develop appropriate criteria and standards for identifying and evaluating neighborhoods, places, structures and improvements which might be classified as landmarks, landmark sites, historic districts or specially designated landmarks.
(4) Recommend to the city council the designation of local landmarks, landmark sites and historic districts on the local register.
(5) Compile a list of landmarks and landmark sites, and of properties that contribute to the historical character of a historic district. Such properties shall be eligible for specially designated landmark status. The commission may enter into and enforce agreements with owners of such properties under Sec. 62-6, and may enforce restrictive covenants pertaining to specially designated landmarks, regardless of the date of creation.
(6) Cooperate with federal, state and local agencies in pursuing the objective of historic preservation. The commission may adopt procedures to assist the city in meeting its reporting requirements under Wis. Stat. sec. 66.111(4) and Wis. Stat. ch. 44 pertaining to potential effects on city-owned property that is listed on the local register, the Wisconsin state register, or the national register of historic places.
(7) Develop and recommend ordinances, legislation and programs and otherwise provide information on historic preservation to the city council.
(8) Take all steps necessary, including the taking and collecting of photographs, drawings, descriptions, recorded interviews, written data and documentation, to permanently record the origin, development, use and historical significance of each landmark, landmark site or historic district.
(9) Review requests for conditional uses, as defined in section 130-6, within a historic district, and make recommendations thereon to the plan commission.
(10) Review, subject to this subsection and subsection (11) of this section, applications for building or demolition permits; and work on a voluntary basis with the owners of landmarks, landmark sites or structures within a historic district, advising them on the benefits, problems and techniques of preservation and encouraging their participation in preservation activities takes on tasks including the review of alterations to historic structures,  education of historic building owners regard business promotion, retention and expansion of the City’s existing businesses, attraction of new businesses to the community, developing ordinances and programs as needed, evaluating sites for potential industrial and business development, and making site development recommendations.  The Committee is also responsible to keep the public, the local business community, and City Council informed on the EDC’s activities.

The Committee typically meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm in City Hall; 31 S. Madison Street, Evansville WI.  

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